Calabash Tree Crescentia cujete 20 Seeds

The Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete) has been cultivated widely throughout the New World tropics since prehistoric times; its exact native range is uncertain. It is a small tree with light green bell-shaped flowers (5 to 6.5 cm long) that are borne singly on stout stalks on the trunk and branches. The flowers are bat-pollinated and are produced irregularly throughout the year. The large fruit has a thin hard shell and whitish pulp and does not split open. The many seeds are dark brown, thin, and flat. A few long spreading branches form a broad open crown. There are enlarged nodes on the stout light brown or gray twigs. The very large, hard, nearly round (sometimes oval) green to brown fruits, 10 to 30 cm in diameter, resemble gourds (but are not in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceous). The spoon-shaped leaves (5 to 18 cm long and 2 to 5 cm broad) are arranged in clusters along the stout twigs. The Calabash Tree reaches a height of 6 to 9 m or more with a trunk diameter of 30 cm or more. It may be evergreen or deciduous in areas with dry seasons.

This species is now widely grown throughout the tropics of both the Old World and New World for its fruits, which are used to make bowls, cups, jugs, water containers, and other utensils, as well as (often decorated) ornaments and musical instruments. It is also grown as an ornamental. Blocks of calabash bark and wood, as well as the trees themselves, have been used for growing orchids. The pulp of the fruit is poisonous and has been used in some areas for traditional medical treatments. Reportedly, the seeds are sometimes cooked and eaten. These trees are commonly encountered on hillside pastures, along roadsides, and wherever they are planted by humans, occurring especially in drier areas. They are easily propagated from seeds or cuttings, but grow slowly. Cultivated varieties may produce larger fruits than do wild trees.

Seeds are Stored in a Refrigerator to Maintain Viability

Growing Instructions

1. Soak the seeds in water for several hours.
2. Put a mixture of potting soil and sand or perlite into a pot with drainage holes in the base. The soil should be moist and well-drained.
3. Sow the seeds on the soil.
4. Water the seeds. Keep the soil moist but not wet.
5. Let the seeds germinate at 23-28 deg C. They germinate in 10-15 days.
6. When the plants are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.